James W. Head

President & CEO

East Bay Community Foundation

James W. Head is the President & Chief Executive Officer of the East Bay Community Foundation. Before coming to the Foundation in 2014, he served for 10 years as Vice President for Programs at The San Francisco Foundation, where he spearheaded initiatives on race, equity, poverty, housing, economic development, and youth development.

He has more than 30 years of experience in philanthropy, nonprofit management and technical assistance; community and economic development; and public interest law. Prior to joining The San Francisco Foundation, he was president of the National Economic Development and Law Center for 18 years.

Additionally, he served as legal counsel of the California Community Economic Development Association and has been a member of foundation advisory boards, including the Open Society Foundation of New York and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation of Michigan. He has served on the Oakland Port Commission since 2009.

He holds a juris doctorate from the University of Georgia School of Law. He is an adjunct professor at University of California at Berkeley’s Boalt School of Law, University of California at San Francisco’s Hastings School of Law, and University of Santa Clara’s School of Law.